How much longer will Jake Long be a Miami Dolphin?

Scheme changes, drafting of Jonathan Martin, make that an open question

April 27, 2012|Mike Berardino, Sun Sentinel Columnist

DAVIE — — Regime changes bring scheme changes.

Scheme changes bring personnel changes.

That's just basic football math.

And the more I do the calculations, the more it seems Jake Long is about to get caught in the vortex of this sweeping Dolphins overhaul.

It might not happen this offseason, but the massive left tackle — whose massive contract runs out after next season — is on shaky ground just the same.

The latest evidence came Friday night, when the Dolphins drafted Stanford's Jonathan Martin in the second round.

That's Stanford left tackle Jonathan Martin, a certified brainiac who made 37 starts in his three seasons protecting Andrew Luck.

So the Dolphins weren't quite able to "Suck For Luck," as many of their fans wanted them to, but at 6-10 they were just bad enough to grab one of his most trusted bodyguards.

"I think it helps you learn how to play with the spotlight on you," Martin said of teaming with the top overall pick. "Being on the national stage for lots of different games, I think that prepared you really well to play in the NFL."

Last time Martin spent any real time on the right side of the line? That would be back at California's Harvard-Westlake High School, where he played strongside tackle.

At Stanford, Martin estimated he only saw "a few snaps" on the right side, not that he can't make the transition and beat out Lydon Murtha and Artis Hicks.

Hey, the young man was a Classics major. He comes froma long line of Harvard graduates.

I'm pretty sure he can figure out how to turn this way instead of that.

The better question for the Dolphins is why would they want him to?

Especially when Martin so clearly has the attributes needed to anchor Joe Philbin's recast offensive line.

"We're not going to be as much a power scheme as we've been in the past," Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said. "So his athletic ability and … quickness and ability to play in space transfers to this scheme probably a lot better than any other scheme."

Martin is also just 22 and will be making modest second-round money, so the chance to plug him into an overpriced spot like left tackle should prove tantalizing.

Long, in case you hadn't noticed, is starting to break down.

His knee has barked at him for a couple of seasons now. His right shoulder had to be repaired after 2010, while last year it was a torn biceps that sidelined him for the final two games.

So while Long, at 26, has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons, the health he needs to fulfill his Hall of Fame potential is already becoming an issue.

Great as he's been since the Dolphins took him first overall in 2008 — ahead of Matt Ryan, as you know — Long's dominance hasn't translated into nearly enough victories.

A Long-led line couldn't keep Chad Pennington from suffering season-ending injuries two years running.

It couldn't keep Chad Henne from suffering a sprained knee in 2010 or Matt Moore from running for his life last season, when the Dolphins allowed 52 sacks, just off the franchise record.

Now along comes Philbin and his lean-and-mean approach, which puts a premium on mobility and not as much on the brute strength Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano idolized.

"Maybe they valued a bigger, 345-pound offensive lineman," Philbin said this week, "where we really didn't play with a whole lot of those guys in Green Bay. "

Ireland showed he can make the adjustment by taking Martin, but what about Long?

"Jake Long can transfer to any scheme," Ireland insisted, "in any offense and any team in the National Footballl League, in my opinion. I think the guy is a tremendous athlete. He's quick. He's strong. He can do it."